The experiences of young people admitted to mental health wards
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the experiences of people aged 16 to 25 years old admitted to mental health wards
IRAS ID
217781
Contact name
Deborah Biggerstaff
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Warwick
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 30 days
Research summary
Young people aged between 16 and 25 receiving mental health care in a hospital environment are of the highest need, greatest vulnerability and risk of poor future outcomes. Mental health disorders are also more likely to begin and prevail through a person’s life span during this period.
Health care delivery for young people aged 16 to 25 for mental health needs tend to fall between children’s services and adult services. However, there are concerns about methods of delivery failing to appropriately address the needs of this age group. Suitability of these services for providing accessible, developmentally and culturally appropriate care that are acceptable to young people is an additional concern. Consequently, it is proposed that a ‘youth model’ of mental health care delivery for 16 to 25 year olds may prove to be more appropriate. Since 2015 this model has been introduced to a limited number of outpatient and community settings in the UK. While there is a growing body of literature concerning young people and mental illness, and how they engage with services, less is known about young peoples’ own views about their care. We will ask young people and health professionals for their views and experiences of admission to mental health hospital wards.The results will allow us to determine recommendations for the care needs for young people aged 16 to 25 when admitted to adult mental health wardsREC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/WM/0391
Date of REC Opinion
5 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion